Is It Me You're Looking For?
by TheTiniestChippedCup
Summary: When Toph Beifong receives her soulmate mark, she couldn't be happier; That is, until she starts to lose her eyesight. Now going blind, she attends a normal college, hoping to make some new memories and experience being a young adult before her world goes dark forever. She's not looking for love, but it'll hit her when she least wants it to.
1. Chapter 1

Is It Me You're Looking For?

Birds chirped loudly, singing a song of cheer, intruding the sleep of the raven headed girl lying upon her bed. She opened her eyes, blinking quickly against her continuous world of grey, black, and white. She felt around her bad, confused as to where she was. Nothing felt familiar to her fingertips or looked familiar to her damaged eyes. The sheets were rougher than the usual Egyptian cotton she had grown accustomed to as a child, and there were faint murmurs going on that weren't familiar to her sensitive ears. A wave of panic settled in, but soon dissipated as she became more aware and shrugged off the remnants of sleep. She ran her fingers through her hair as the birds continued to chirp. "Oh, shut it, will you?" The birds, perhaps frightened by her tone, or the volume of her voice, obeyed the somewhat frustrated young woman. She sighed at the peace and blinked her eyes at the ceiling, thinking back to the weekend that she moved to the dorm she was currently inhabiting. Her parents had made a fuss over it, about how small the room and how she would come home immediately as such accommodations were unsuitable. She let her mind wash over the details of the rather embarrassing scene they had made.

 _Poppy Beifong clucked her tongue at the place Toph was to reside in while studying. "Oh, this simply will not do. Not at all! The place looks hideous and it absolutely reeks!" Toph sniffed the air and frowned. There wasn't a smell, at least not one her nose could identify. Mother was just overreacting yet again. Toph tuned her out as she explored slowly, trying to take everything in. Her room seemed spacious enough, as Toph really hadn't brought too many items with her. Suddenly, an arm grabbed her and started dragging her to the door. Her mother's voice rang out clear and shrill, "We're leaving. Now." Toph dug her heels into the ground, ripping her arm out of Poppy's grasp._

 _"No Mother. I'm staying. I chose this school for a reason. It's the one I picked out of the list that YOU made. Besides, if I stay, how will I find my soulmate?"_

 _"Oh honey, you don't know what you're saying. Besides, soulmates are overrated. Your father and I aren't soulmates and look how happy we are." Toph raised and waved a hand in front of her unfocused eyes._

 _"I'm going blind Mother, remember?" Toph's dad, who had not spoken a word during the encounter, winced slightly. Toph felt the temperature drop as Poppy shot a murderous look at her, then huffing and turning on her heel to walk out. Toph's dad slid his hand into Toph's and spoke._

 _"Are you sure this is the school you want? You don't want to go to a college for the blind? It would be easier on you, and perhaps people wouldn't make too much fun of you. I know we put off college for a few years, but we just wanted you to be ready for such a big change." Toph groaned._

 _"I've been ready for years Father. This is what I want. Besides, I'm not blind yet." Toph was stubborn, and unwilling to move. Her father admired her for a moment and voiced his affirmation to her staying. He left shortly after helping Toph get her stuff in the room and left. Poppy didn't say a word to Toph and, if she were to be honest, Toph was relieved._

"Toph? Hey, Toph." Toph snapped out of her reverie and cocked her head towards the lackluster door. She swung her legs out off the bed and began to walk, feeling around with her hands as her vision swarmed and the floor swayed under her feet. This had been happening lately, another sign of her vision's impending doom. Her eyesight faded in and out slightly and she groped wildly for something to steady herself on. Sadly, she failed to realize there was an open door right as she and proceeded to hit her nose against it, causing her to swear loudly.

"Damn. That hurt." Toph heard her door open and a gentle sound reached her ears as her flat mate padded in. She felt a soft pair of hands caress her face as her nose was inspected while a small scent of rain and dirt wafted over her and a grey figure hovered in front of her. It was pleasant, and Toph relaxed somewhat. She usually wasn't one for being touched, but her memory of the weekend temporarily defaulted her defense systems to a sleeping mode.

"It doesn't look too bad. I was going to offer if you would like me to help you find your classes. If we don't leave soon, we're going to be late." Toph could only imagine how this girl could look with colour, but then again, Toph wasn't sure how she could imagine. She only knew shades of grey now. Oh, she still remembered her colours, but after the incident, they slowly started fading from her mind. She remembered the panic that settled in when she opened her eyes to a blurring world. Toph dazed back into the present slowly, mulling over the girl's offer.

"Suki, was it? I think I'd like that. Of course, that is you can keep up." Toph smirked and shrugged off the soft hands that were still on her face, Suki's framed slowly sharpening in contrast. She heard a small snort emitting from the other female and felt a small warm feeling of acceptance washing over her. She could grow to like it here. Toph turned around and began to strip, and heard a small noise coming from the other female, and a loud shut of the door. Toph shrugged and continued to change. She shrugged on her jacket and pulled on her shoes, having to take them off and switch them, per usual. She walked to her now stable door, opening it and walked out while making sure to not repeat her earlier event. She carefully spoke aloud, feeling somewhat alone. "Suki?"

"Yeah! I'm coming, just let me pull my shoes on." Toph heard some rustling, and then a door opening and shutting, with a click of a lock. Toph was somewhat impatient but biting her tongue. She didn't want to get on Suki's bad side, at least, not yet. Toph heard another soft gasp and felt somewhat confused.  
"Are you dying or something? Or do you have asthma?" Toph inquired somewhat offhandedly.

"No! It's just that top goes well with your complexion! Green really suits you, you know?" Toph groaned and waved her hand over her eyes.

"I don't know actually. I'm colourblind, remember?" Suki chuckled softly. Toph had prepared herself for the pitiful apologies, but Suki had said nothing of the likes. A pleasant feeling of warmth and surprise filled Toph, but she kept her stoic demeanor. "Let's go." Toph made her way to the door and picked up her bag along with her cane. She didn't really need it, but she reassured herself that if anyone made fun of her for messing up something easily identifiable by colour, she had a way of reaching them from a small distance.

"So, your first class is History with Professor Shîláng. He's pretty new, just graduated from some backwater college. I've heard the other girls mention how attractive he is." Toph tuned her out after that, not interested in hearing about attractive men, forgetting the other girl was there, until Suki grabbed her wrist and jerked her out of her fantasy world of becoming the world champion of eating the most fried foods without becoming sick. Toph reacted instinctively, grabbing the wrist with her other hand and twisting it back, startling Suki. "Toph! It's just me!" Toph immediately let go and felt her face heat up.

"Are you okay?" Toph wasn't one to apologize, even if it had been her fault. Suki patted Toph's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm fine. That was a pretty good move. Where did you learn to do that? And how? I mean, no offense, but…" Suki trailed off, still feeling awkward about mentioning the disability.

"Well, I had a friend teach me some basic self-defense moves. I wasn't going to let a silly thing like my suddenly useless eyes make me a helpless case. Before we could advance, my mother found out and sent him away. Couldn't handle the idea of her 'precious little baby dirtying her hands with violence.'" Toph quoted bitterly. Suki smiled out of sympathy.

"Well, I could help you. I used to be part of a fighting club. Well, not as rough as most, but we all learned self-defense. That is, if you want." Suki offered quickly.

"Really? I mean, as long as you don't baby me, we should be fine." They made a quick agreement and as Toph moved her hand to brush a few annoying wisps of hair from her face, Suki caught a glimpse of her uncovered wrist.

"I... Is that your soulmate tattoo?" Toph immediately went to brush over it with her thumb, lost in thought.

"Yeah. It is. I still remember when it showed up. I felt pain, like a bee sting, and I couldn't stop running my fingers over it for the next week. The colours were so vibrant and it made me so happy that I, Toph "Badass" Beifong, had a soulmate. Of course, now that I can't see any colour at all, I only have the memories of what it looks like, and even those are hazy." Suki blinked down at Toph, her mind tossing different ideas.

"So, you weren't always colourblind? I figured with how possessive your mother was, it was something you've dealt with all your life." Toph chuckled grimly, and tucked her loose hair behind her ear aggressively, tired of the sensation of it hitting her ear. Suki noticed this, her facial expression turning thoughtful. "Here. Sit on this bench over here. We'll have plenty of time to get to class. I'm going to braid your hair." Toph sputtered as she was led forcefully to the bench and made to sit down.

"I thought you said this morning that we were going to be late!" She closed her eyes as she felt Suki sit beside her and heard a light rumble reverberate through the air as Suki gathered Toph's long raven hair.

"I lied." Toph whistled appreciatively.

"You just keep getting closer and closer to my heart, Earth Queen."

"Earth Queen? Alright. I dig it." Suki's hands deftly worked through Toph's unruly hair. Toph took the silence as the opportunity to tell Suki her story.

"I contracted Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy shortly after my 19th birthday. One day, I could see fine and then the next everything was fuzzy and off-colour, like someone had covered my right eye with a thin layer of cotton. The doctor couldn't do anything to slow down the progress, and just recently my left eye started losing it too. I can still see some variances of dull colours, but more often than not, I see grey. I had already started learning Braille after the doctor told me there wasn't a damn thing he could do. I had to accept my eyes weren't going to get better, that I'm going to become blind as a bat soon, and I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. My mom still blames the doctor for her misfortune of having a damaged daughter. The irony in this situation is that it affects more males than females." Toph shrugged as she finished, her voice having been detached for the most part. Throughout the story, Suki's hands had never wavered from their assigned task.

"There. Your hair is finished. Not bad if I do say so myself. Come on. Let's go." Suki stood and dragged Toph up with her and they started walking in a comfortable silence. Toph mused on how Suki hadn't immediately smothered her with physical affection and tears and was thankful. Suki already had figured Toph wasn't looking for pity of any degree and if Toph had moved on, Suki wasn't going to drag her back. They soon reached the school and Suki led Toph in. They seemed to still be early enough where it wasn't crowded. Suki took her around and showed her where all her classes were, then had to leave. Toph missed Suki's comforting presence, but soon forgot about it as she walked into the history classroom. She made her way up the stairs to the top row confidently, away from other people. She was a people watcher, not a people partaker. She sat down, crossing her arms and made mental lists of people entering the room.

 _That one's too shy, he's too cocky. He's arrogant, she seems decent. Not like I'm interested or anything. I don't need friends right yet. Don't want to look desperate. Not like anyone would appreciate my sense of humour anyway. Where was I? Oh yeah. That guy looks like he's in and out of trouble. She's definitely a theatre geek and he… Whoa. Who is that?_ Normally, Toph didn't notice guys. She wasn't boy crazy, which drove her mother insane, but she can admire a guy from time to time. It seemed like now was one of those times. From what her limited vision could make out, he was tall, lean, with muscles defined lightly. He had smile lines that could be spotted miles away, and his hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her interest was sparked, then died as she noticed her soulmate tattoo. She couldn't afford to get lost in someone who wasn't her soulmate.

"Okay guys! Hey! Name's Sokka and I'm your History Professor. We won't do too much today, but I would like to get to know you better. After all, we'll be spending an entire semester together and it'd be a shame to not get to know all of you. We'll be taking a survey and then we'll go over the syllabus. Now, remember that in this class, if you use a pen, you can only use blue or black, okay? Okay! Let's all get out a sheet of paper and prepare for the survey." Toph shrugged. She would just use a pencil and avoid all the stress of figuring out which colour was which. She dug around in her bag until she found her case for writing utensils and opened it. She groaned after a quick scan. She had forgotten to pack her pencils, and that only meant one thing: she had to chance luck and see if she could miraculously pick out a pen of the appropriate colours that were approved by the professor. She got to work quickly as sheets of paper were passed around with ten questions on them. She began to read the list and had to smirk at a few of them.

What is your full name?

What is your favourite hobby?

What are your aspirations?

What do you hope to gain from this class?

Are you a vegetarian? If so, you can leave my class.

What is your preferred weapon?

How can I make this class interesting to you?

Insert question here and answer.

Have you met your soulmate?

Would you be opposed to frequent fieldtrips to further your education and to satisfy your hunger for knowledge… and food?

Toph snickered at the last few questions and got to work on answering them quickly.

Toph Beifong

Kicking ass and taking names.

I hope to not go blind I hope to pass with a decent grade and a full belly.

I hope to learn about the very "interesting" things history has to teach me.

I most definitely am not. Meat is my only diet.

My fists?

By not being a dick and shoving all of your information down my throat.

Do I like this assignment? Sort of.

No. Not like it's any of your business.

I'd only go for the food.

Toph finished and waited for everyone else to finish taking their own sweet time and tapped her pen against her lips. She wasn't sure how to feel about this class quite yet, but she hoped all her answers were satisfactory. The Professor seemed laid-back and nice enough. She could only hope that class would not be a pain. Soon enough, all the papers were passed forward and they went over some basic stuff, and he dismissed them early. Toph left the class, and most definitely did not stare at his butt as he walked out in front of her. She most certainly kept her eyes fixated on his ponytail and not his hips as they slightly swayed. Seriously, why did his hips sway? She groaned softly and found her next class, spending the rest of the day trying to get those kind, warm eyes out of her head.


	2. An Awkward Date

Sokka dismissed his class soon enough, not wanting to keep the anxious young adults in the room any longer. He had honestly wanted a P.E. job, but they only had a History class opening, which was nearly as good as being outside. He noticed a few of the female students eyeing him, which twisted his gut and made him feel sick. Sure, he was only a few years older, but these were his students and surely none of them were his soulmate. Besides, he had given up on that soulmate crap a while back, ever since, well, the incident. H refused to linger on it further. Instead, he gathered up his student's papers and walked out with his class, not having to teach another until late that afternoon. Since he was just starting out teaching at a small college, the administrative staff had thought it best to ease him into teaching by only assigning him two classes. At least they were a part of the same sequence and not one dealing specifically with one nation and the other with a different topic altogether. He had time to head home and get to work on grading these surveys, getting a bite to eat, and taking a small nap before he was due back up at the college. He walked to his blue car with white wall tires, truly an oddity to be seen at the college, and placed the papers in the passenger seat before walking around to slide into the driver's seat.

As he started to drive away, his cell started to play that annoying, upbeat song his sister had somehow made his permanent ringtone. One day it was going to ruin a moment, and he was not looking forward as to explaining why his ringtone is a Hannah Montana song. He picked up the phone, cutting it off at " _It's the best of…_ "

"Hello?"

"Sokka! Hey man. I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat at my uncle's shop while we have a breather." Sokka relaxed as Zuko's voice trickled through the speaker, sounding clear as a baritone bell. He always liked Zuko, but even more so since he and Sokka's sister had broken up.

"Sure man. Your uncle has the best food around here." They chatted a few more minutes before Zuko had to hang up. Sokka tossed his cellphone into the passenger seat atop the messy stack of papers and continued en route to Uncle Iroh's Tea Shoppe, reflecting on the happiness that Zuko and Katara had found. Zuko and Katara had been dating for years, even though they had different marks, Zuko's being a dagger and Katara's being an intricate Celtic wind design. Sokka didn't necessarily hate Zuko during that time, but that was his little sister. He wouldn't approve of any guy dating her. They had been together so long that everyone thought they were going to get married. One day, while they were on a date, they both ran into their soulmates: Mai and Aang. Zuko put up a bit of a fuss, thinking that they were going to throw away what they had, and Katara, calming presence she is, had made a deal. If it turned out that their soulmates were the platonic kind, they'd get married. Turns out, Zuko was the first to fall in love, then Katara. They were still the best of friends and talked to each other constantly.

Sokka still wasn't sure how he felt about Aang. First off, the kid was a vegetarian. HE DIDN'T EAT MEAT. Other than that, he was an alright dude. A bit too peaceful, but alright. He was a few years younger than Katara, and she treated him a bit too motherly at points, but they really were a match. Sokka envied their connection at times, he being the only one in their group who hadn't found his soulmate, but he was glad that they were happy. He soon reached the shop and parked, grabbing his worn leather wallet and sliding it in the front pocket of his jeans. He never understood why men placed them in the back pocket. He hurried inside, his mouth salivating at the aroma of spicy meat, and soon saw Zuko and Mai at a booth. He walked over, sliding into the opposite end of the couple and beamed.

"Hey honeymooners. How was the vacation?" He chortled as Zuko's face turned red and Mai had a sly smirk slither across her face.

"It was satisfactory." Mai's monotone voice filled the air and now it was Sokka's turn to flush as he caught the double meaning.

"Mai. C'mon. We're in public."

"So is that other couple, but they have no qualms about making out in the corner there. You should be thankful it is only words and not actions." Zuko shook his head, the tips of his ears slowly returning to normal. His had grown his hair out somewhat, which Sokka thought an improvement. It helped draw attention away from his burn scar that he had received as a child. Sokka never really got the details, but after Katara had told him about Zuko's abusive father, he never wanted to ask. Their waitress came by and took their orders, then they began to chow down. The time passes too quickly for Sokka's liking and soon he had to leave. Instead of going home, he went back to the college. He carried all the papers back to his classroom and began going through them. Some made him laugh, some made him cringe, and some he could only shake his head at. It wasn't until he reached one written in a beautiful green ink with the second messiest handwriting he had ever seen, rivaling his own. He read through her answers and chortled. While she didn't seem enthused about learning, she did seem on board for food. He frowned after a moment. He had told them to use black or blue ink. Maybe she hadn't of heard him, or maybe she didn't care. Either way, he had to give her a talk. He still gave her an "A," however; but only because she expertly wove her sarcastic humour throughout the questions, and totally not because she passionately proclaimed her dire love for all things savory and of the meat category. Not that at all…

Sooner than he would have liked, his next class filtered in and he went through the same routine. He again let them go after they filled out his questionnaire and gathered his things, preparing to leave. He walked to his car, noticing how everything became illuminated as the sun fell. He drove home, this time with no interruptions might he add, and soon arrived at his one-bedroom apartment. He took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped outside of his car, greeted by the sight of the pale moon. He swallowed hard and hurriedly grabbed his papers, walked up the flight of stairs to his apartment complex, and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and shut the door before slumping to the ground, his bottom lip quivering slightly as he fought back the emotions that were swelling in his chest. He had forgotten it was the full moon tonight. He buried his face in the space between his knees and took shallow breaths, losing the oncoming battle between his resolve and his tears. It had been two years, but it still seemed like it had only happened yesterday. He dropped his papers and as they scattered, he allowed himself to weep for lost love, lost opportunities, and regret. He remained there for a while longer, sobs wracking his body violently at first before dying down gradually. After an hour, he gathered the papers, beginning to grade numbly. All was looking well, and he finished quickly. He stacked them haphazardly and went on to brush his teeth and lay down in his bed, shedding all clothing except his boxers. He fell asleep quickly, and thankfully, no dreams of compassionate blue eyes entered his sleep.

As he awoke the next day, he stretched, sighing in contentment as his back popped loudly. He swung his legs out of bed and gathered a blue polo and a pair of jeans, laying them upon his unmade bed. He let his hair down as he hopped in the shower, taking more than enough time needed to get ready, enjoying the steaming water hitting his back, relaxing his muscles. He stepped out, shaking his head and causing water droplets to fling everywhere as he wrapped a towel around his waist, padding to the kitchen. He looked in the refrigerator, cheering as he saw a pack of bacon with some eggs. He got to work, whistling merrily as he cooked his breakfast. He soon finished, cutting the stove off and pulling a plate down from the wood stained cabinet on the right to put his food on. As it cooled, he moved back to the bedroom, dressing quickly and towel drying his hair. He pulled on a pair of black socks and his converse, walking back to the kitchen to eat. He soon noticed the time and shoveled his food in his mouth faster. He was already a pretty quick eater, but he was going to be late if he didn't eat even quicker than before. He finished and placed his plate and glass in the sink, rushing to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He quickly pulled his hair back up and styled his small goatee, flashing a cheeky grin in the mirror.

"Looking good, Sokka!" He rushed to the car, picking up the papers on his way out. He noticed that Beifong girl's paper on top, reminding him that he needed to discuss respect and adherence to the rules with her. He wasn't going to be harsh, just somewhat authoritative. He sped to the school, walking to his classroom. To his utter delight, he was there before any of the students. He straightened the papers up and as his students began to file in, he handed them back. Miss Beifong was the last one in, and as he handed her the paper, he muttered loud enough for her to hear, "We need to meet after class to discuss some issues." She just looked at him somewhat with an unfocused look, yet her gaze seemed to pierce through him. He had never seen such an eye color before. She shrugged and walked up the steps, taking her seat. With a deep breath, Sokka began class.


End file.
